Monday, May 11, 2009

I love you, "Star Trek" movie!

I got a chance to see this in Toronto this weekend amidst very polite Canadians, which meant that for the first time in years, I was able to watch a movie without a teenager talking on her cell phone next to me. Yay, Canada! I heart you, maple-leaf style! (I don't know what that means.)

So what can I say about "Star Trek" except that I loved it, I loved it and then I loved it so much more that I made it uncomfortable and it tried to leave the room. All of my hopes for this movie were not only met, they were exceeded. The tone was just right -- it was fun and action-packed but it maintained that certain moral center that's always been a trademark of the "Star Trek" concept.

The characterizations were dead-on. Chris Pine did a great job of making Kirk the reckless but brave and good-hearted prick we all know he would have been as a young man. I loved the fact that even though Kirk was smart, there still was no doubt that Spock was smarter and that's what made them such a good pair right from the start. And speaking of Spock, Zachary Quinto was terrific as the young half-human, half-Vulcan...which takes a lot for me to admit because I can't stand Zachary Quinto on "Heroes." My two favorites, though, had to be Karl Urban who channeled DeForrest Kelley's Leonard McCoy beautifully, updating him without a hint of parody, and Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scott, who cracked me up every second he was on screen. Perfect -- the whole cast was exceptional.

(Spoiler ahead in this paragraph.) The movie truly was a perfect summer film with just the right mix of action, adventure and yes, humor. Lots and lots of humor, which kept things bouncing around nicely. The serious bits were done equally well. Eric Bana, tragically hidden under pounds of latex and tattoos, made for a fine villain who didn't get many scenes to himself but still made an excellent foil for our heroes. And the bits with the older Spock -- well, I'm woman enough to admit that I got choked up toward the end with his conversation with his younger self. (Plus, you gotta love his line about his usual farewell being "oddly self-serving right now." Paradox humor!)

Plain and simple, I really, really enjoyed this movie and am looking forward to seeing it again. Thanks, J.J. Abrams and crew, for making this Next Generation fan actually get misty-eyed over the original series. I never thought it could be done, but this flick pulled it off gloriously. Now bring on the sequel!

There was actual applause in the theater at the end. That's rare. So good. J.J. Abrams is getting a lot of attention but I tip my hat to Orci and Kurtzman for a fantastic script. I officially nominate them for Nerd Man of the Month.

I LOVED it, but I couldn't believe they left the alternate universe intact! I totally thought that when the romulan ship went through the black hole that last time that it and young spock would end up in the future before romulus was destroyed and fix things, thereby reestablishing the correct timeline.

I absolutely loved it! It was new and fresh but still with little nods to the originals..."Set phasers to stun", "Fascinating", etc. And Kirk making out with a green alien?? Nostalgia! It had the perfect blend of comedy, action and drama. I teared up when Leonard Nimoy said the line, "I am and always will be your friend." Thank you J.J., for breathing new life into the characters while staying respectful to their roots. I can't wait to see it again!

I was ready to sit through it again as the credits rolled. Heck, I was / am willing to pay non-matinee prices to see it again!

I've decided that Karl Urban has a Gary Oldman-like quality that allows him to completely absorb the character he's playing. As an example - the 2nd Bourne movie. I didn't know he was the dark-haired assassin until the credits were rolling.

I LOVED Star Trek and was curious if others caught 2 interesting things thrown in- The tribble and the Red Matter reference.

Scotty had a tribble in a cage when Kirk and old Spock meet him on his desk (very cool. My fiance saw that and I went into nerd overhaul)

And any Alias fans out there catch the Red Matter in here is extreeeeemely familiar (and its been a while but I believe in alias it was called red matter) but to the evil weapon near the end of the series. (I like how Abhrams hides some of his past things in his moves like Slusho at the bar too)

VERY awesome movie. My only only gripe and its a tiny one is they overused "don't believe in a no-win scenario" one too many times. If you're going to use a direct line from Wrath of Khan, a big one, change it a little or use it only one. But that's just me.

I loved it too! I saw it in Vancouver while there on vacation and was also blown away by how pleasant and polite everyone was.

New Spock is my new imaginary boyfriend. Quinto was so great as Spock. It's good to see what he can do with good writing. I was very impressed with how they fit in a romantic subplot that didn't feel tacked on.

I had slight quibbles, but that's all. Such as why didn't Nero do something useful like go to Romulus and warn them about the supernova, so they could do a better job of averting disaster? I mean, he had all those decades waiting for Old Spock to show up.

And why was Kirk concerned about how many men the Orion girl had brought back to her room, the dirty hypocrite?

I'm so glad everyone else liked it too. I can't believe I missed spotting that tribble! I'll have to keep an eye peeled for that the next time I see it. And I totally agree that there should have been more Simon Pegg. The world would be a better place with more Simon Pegg. :)

Loved the casting and Urban was fantastic, almost stole the show for me.

Can't wait to see it again!!!! Did anyone else notice the guy who looked like Wheaton on the 1st ship at the helm?

SPOILERS!!!

I loved the nods to the original shows. I can't believe I missed the tribble! I'll look for it the next time. But I did catch the reference to Archer and his prize beagle made by Scotty. And, I am pretty sure that the alien bug they put in Pike to get him to talk was part of a major plot on Next Gen.

ionyms - words that mean the opposite of themselves? (Or would that be ironyms?)

I agree with the "Needs more Scotty" comment!

SPOILERS AHOY

I also thought it was actually pretty brave to leave the alternate universe intact. It's not something you usually face, characters having to deal with permanent consequences caused by time travel. And for it all to be set back to normal would kind of seem like "and then he woke up".

And, yeah, it's a clever way to reboot the franchise with new plots while retaining referential humor.